This House Would Get A Master’s Degree.

A Master’s degree helps candidates stand out from the crowd – especially in professions where a first degree is commonplace. As well as demonstrating greater knowledge, research Master’s in particular, show that the candidate has the ability to motivate themselves and deliver a project largely under their own supervision.

Furthermore in some areas, such as education, the possession of a Master’s is now so commonplace that a failure to have one simply moves that application to the bottom of the pile[i].

[i]  Natalie Morris. "Three Smart Reasons to Get Your Master's Degree Now" WorldWideLearn

It is ridiculously tautological to say that “you need a Master’s degree for those jobs where you need a Master’s degree”, which is prop’s supplemental argument.

In terms of proposition’s main argument, it is worth remembering that in some fields having a Master’s may actually harm a candidate’s employability[i]. However, in between these two extremes the reality is that most of the time it makes little or no difference. In the bulk of jobs, employers may want a graduate but beyond that, largely confine their interest to a potential recruit’s character and experience.

A Master’s degree speaks to neither issue and may, in fact, suggest that the applicant was unsure about their career when they graduated – and therefore had not devised a coherent career strategy in the first place.

[i]  Nick Jackson. "How having a Master's degree may not guarantee success." Independent. June 14, 2007

A Master’s degree increases knowledge- both in terms of quantity and quality- as it allows for a more refined study of the field.

However, a Master’s also enhances many of the softer skills that employers routinely say that they want. Attributes such as critical and creative thinking are developed by higher study and requirements such as giving presentations or tutoring junior students help with communication skills.

This benefit that an MA or an MSc provides for an employer is rewarded by a higher salary to the employee.  Between the ages of 25 and 64 Americans with Master’s degrees earn around $250,000 more over the course of their careers[i].

[i] Minauti Dave. "Do master's degrees really pay off?" Colleges.com

This statistic is deeply unhelpful and, frankly, irrelevant to the debate. By definition the category of ‘those with Master’s degrees’ by definition includes high paying professions for which further study is essential such as medicine, law and MBA grads in the higher levels of business.

Indeed, once that reality is taken into account it seems unlikely that those professions where it is optional are affected in any significant way.

This is particularly true of those graduating in the Social Sciences and the Liberal Arts where the possession of a Master’s brings little benefit in terms of lifetime salary and certainly not enough to justify accruing the debt or missing the extra years of paid work.

Life is not entirely about the world of work, and society as a whole benefits from a more educated citizenry. Equally, a Master’s degree provides benefits to the individual in terms of a deeper understanding of both their subject and the world around them[i].

There is compelling evidence of the relationship between education and areas like civic participation as well as personal; benefits in terms of health, life expectancy and family stability.

Although participation in the labor market is a primary concern for most, it is far from to the only reason to engage in post graduate study. The increasingly business and industry led courses that many UK universities are opting to run often understate the benefit to society that results from promoting learning for learning’s sake.

[i]  Todd Pheifer. "Why pursue a master's degree?" Helium.com

Many of the non-vocational benefits that are ascribed to advanced education have vastly more to do with the sort of person likely to undertake post-graduate study than they have with the qualification itself. The background, class and professional ambitions of Master’s students are far stronger indicators of the value that they will derive from a course of study than the content of the Master’s degree itself.

Furthermore there is absolutely nothing that says further investigation of a subject has to be conducted with the confines of formal education, and it is even questionable as to whether a formal approach is more beneficial.

In terms of professional as well as personal development, there is compelling evidence that a Master’s degree is likely to be most useful later in somebody’s career once they are clearly focused on a career track rather than when they are starting out.

A Master’s degree helps candidates stand out from the crowd – especially in professions where a first degree is commonplace. As well as demonstrating greater knowledge, research Master’s in particular, show that the candidate has the ability to motivate themselves and deliver a project largely under their own supervision.

Furthermore in some areas, such as education, the possession of a Master’s is now so commonplace that a failure to have one simply moves that application to the bottom of the pile[i].

[i]  Natalie Morris. "Three Smart Reasons to Get Your Master's Degree Now" WorldWideLearn

It is ridiculously tautological to say that “you need a Master’s degree for those jobs where you need a Master’s degree”, which is prop’s supplemental argument.

In terms of proposition’s main argument, it is worth remembering that in some fields having a Master’s may actually harm a candidate’s employability[i]. However, in between these two extremes the reality is that most of the time it makes little or no difference. In the bulk of jobs, employers may want a graduate but beyond that, largely confine their interest to a potential recruit’s character and experience.

A Master’s degree speaks to neither issue and may, in fact, suggest that the applicant was unsure about their career when they graduated – and therefore had not devised a coherent career strategy in the first place.

[i]  Nick Jackson. "How having a Master's degree may not guarantee success." Independent. June 14, 2007

A Master’s degree increases knowledge- both in terms of quantity and quality- as it allows for a more refined study of the field.

However, a Master’s also enhances many of the softer skills that employers routinely say that they want. Attributes such as critical and creative thinking are developed by higher study and requirements such as giving presentations or tutoring junior students help with communication skills.

This benefit that an MA or an MSc provides for an employer is rewarded by a higher salary to the employee.  Between the ages of 25 and 64 Americans with Master’s degrees earn around $250,000 more over the course of their careers[i].

[i] Minauti Dave. "Do master's degrees really pay off?" Colleges.com

This statistic is deeply unhelpful and, frankly, irrelevant to the debate. By definition the category of ‘those with Master’s degrees’ by definition includes high paying professions for which further study is essential such as medicine, law and MBA grads in the higher levels of business.

Indeed, once that reality is taken into account it seems unlikely that those professions where it is optional are affected in any significant way.

This is particularly true of those graduating in the Social Sciences and the Liberal Arts where the possession of a Master’s brings little benefit in terms of lifetime salary and certainly not enough to justify accruing the debt or missing the extra years of paid work.

Life is not entirely about the world of work, and society as a whole benefits from a more educated citizenry. Equally, a Master’s degree provides benefits to the individual in terms of a deeper understanding of both their subject and the world around them[i].

There is compelling evidence of the relationship between education and areas like civic participation as well as personal; benefits in terms of health, life expectancy and family stability.

Although participation in the labor market is a primary concern for most, it is far from to the only reason to engage in post graduate study. The increasingly business and industry led courses that many UK universities are opting to run often understate the benefit to society that results from promoting learning for learning’s sake.

[i]  Todd Pheifer. "Why pursue a master's degree?" Helium.com

Many of the non-vocational benefits that are ascribed to advanced education have vastly more to do with the sort of person likely to undertake post-graduate study than they have with the qualification itself. The background, class and professional ambitions of Master’s students are far stronger indicators of the value that they will derive from a course of study than the content of the Master’s degree itself.

Furthermore there is absolutely nothing that says further investigation of a subject has to be conducted with the confines of formal education, and it is even questionable as to whether a formal approach is more beneficial.

In terms of professional as well as personal development, there is compelling evidence that a Master’s degree is likely to be most useful later in somebody’s career once they are clearly focused on a career track rather than when they are starting out.

Proposition has focused on a very limited number of jobs where post-graduate study is already, mostly, required. The issue here is whether a Master’s degree, in and of itself, is anything more than an expensive distraction. It is one of the dirty secrets of research programmes that Master’s students are frequently seen as cash cows to fund the work being undertaken by faculty and doctoral and post-doctoral researchers[i].

Most faculty involved with Master’s programmes have little or no interest in teaching and justify greater time for research on the basis that they meet with a postgraduate student a couple of times a year.

[i]  "The Education Bubble." Mark C. Taylor, the chairman of the religion department at Columbia University on the New York Times Room for Debate blog. June 30th, 2009

Side opposition’s argument is a good one for requiring academics to be more closely in terms of their teaching, but has little to do with this debate.

Further, the reality of university level study is that members of faculty act as resources for student to use rather than didactic educators.

A research degree is provides the opportunity for semi-autonomous study and in-depth reading, with a light hand on the tiller provided by members of staff to ensure that a student’s investigations are not going in completely the wrong direction.

Indeed, one of the attractions of a Master’s degree for employers is that it demonstrates that someone can work on their own. This demonstrates a far greater level of reliability than the capacity to regurgitate a set syllabus.

After nearly twenty years spent in the confines of education, the last thing most students need is another stint away from the realities of earning a living, paying tax and getting to work at nine in the morning. In addition to which, very few Master’s degrees are genuinely comprised of original research. Even in the technical fields, where the qualification could be considered most useful, universities are frequently lagging behind other practitioners.

There comes a time where study for its own sake is not only self-indulgent but may become increasingly detrimental. For those students- the overwhelming majority- whose degree will have nothing whatsoever to do with their eventual job it is difficult to see what benefit is provided by delaying things, especially when that means more debt and more time without a salary cheque.

There is much more to acquiring additional qualifications than simply learning skills and memorising curricula by rote. Unlike undergraduates, postgrads are likely to spend time working with their peers at other institutions, attending conferences and generally building networks that will serve them well in their chosen careers. They also establish a far closer relationship with members of faculty who may remain guiding figures for years to come.

Those graduating with a Liberal Arts or Social Sciences degree are unlikely to have an obvious career path ahead of them. A Master’s offers the opportunity to specialise in a particular area or field. A degree in Sociology may not mark a graduate out from the crowd in the ways that an additional Master’s in Social Work or the implementation of social policy would.

There is a real downside to making Master’s degrees the gold standard for educational achievement. If one degree is no longer enough for entry level jobs, then students from poor backgrounds will be further disadvantaged by comparison with student who are able to secure parental support and funding for postgraduate study. Students are already judged on the prestige- and therefore cost- of their first degree. To add an additional layer to the existing hierarchy of university education is doubly unfair. Not only does it require additional debt, but also means that the value of the degree a student has already worked hard to acquire is reduced, as it fails to match up to a new standard.

Opposition is once again making a strong argument for reforming the way that education is funded but that has little to do with the merits or otherwise of pursuing an additional degree.

Most universities determine scholarships for Master’s programmes on the basis of academic merit as they do for Bachelor’s degrees.

It is entirely possible that this system needs expansion or greater support or stronger regulation – but that can be said of the entire education system from kindergarten to post-doctoral research.

Indeed, the fact that a Master’s allows one to buy a competitive advantage would seem to be an excellent reason for doing one. It may not be nice, but it is simply the logical conclusion of not dropping out of high school to go and get a job.